cd and crawling

[Rose-Roget]

Dd is 10-1/2 mo. She recently started crawling. She's been in cloth most of the time since birth; however, for a variety of reasons, we have had her in disposables for the past month. During that time, she learned to sit herself up from lying down, crawl, pull to stand, and cruise. I just figured this was her rate of development - a little on the slower side for crawling, but not delayed, and the others coming right along.

Well, yesterday, we put her back in cd. She is having a very hard time getting into a sitting position or crawling, and she has been so frustrated that she just breaks down crying and I haven't seen her try to pull to stand. Now, before this, anytime I read anything talking about how cd'd kids had a slower time learning to walk, I'd felt like they didn't know what they were talking about and babies did it for many many years before sposies came along. But now I'm wondering. Did disposables change the curve of "normal" for crawling and walking? Or is this just a coincidence that she learned while in disposables and is having a hard time now?

I'm mostly pondering this based on recent observations. Anyone have any observations of their own?

[4Blessings]

My DD is 9.5 months old and is standing on her own and almost walking. Cruises along furniture, walls, etc.
She started crawling around six months.

I don't think CDs are slowing my daughter down at all. I wish they would! I like late walkers

Maybe try more naked time and see how that goes.

[chely7425]

I am with 4Blessings... both my boys were CD-ed full time and crawled at 5 months and fully walked at 9...

[lunita1]

Well, a generation ago I was cloth diapered and learned to walk at 9 months. My daughters all walked at about a year , and my youngest, fully cloth diapered (in bulky cotton) is 6 months old and crawling.

[EmmalinesMom]

I don't think cloth diapers slowed down my girls. My first was a late walker, but I don't think that had anything to do with the diapers, more that she wasn't ready as early as some.

[treeoflife3]

It is POSSIBLE that cloth is hindering your little one and it is POSSIBLE that it is a coincidence.

My kiddo wasn't slowed down by cloth. She started crawling at 4 or 5 months and started cruising around furniture at 7 or 8 months (including pulling herself up) She didn't walk til 11 months (although I expected it at 9 months) but I have 0 doubts that that is purely because she was nervous. She fell easily (no matter what she was wearing) and I think she was afraid she would fall more letting go of things.

[meg_shannon]

The cloth is probably just "different," meaning she has to get used to moving in it, and will experience some frustrations. Once she gets used to the CD and movement she'll probably be fine.

[Mom2M]

DD has been in prefolds and covers and started crawling around 5 months and cruising and standing alone at 9 months.
I was worried about it slowing her down because they seemed so bulky but they didn't.
But I think maybe it is too much material for some babies and they take longer to adjust. Do you use prefolds? Maybe a fuzzibunz or something like that would help.

[Rose-Roget]

I'm thinking now it's probably just the getting used to it again thing. They are bulky on her skinny body, though. We use prefolds, and she's a long and lean baby, so I think they add weight and bulk for her to move around. I'd try another style, but we can't really afford it and it sounds like it shouldn't be an issue.

[ChetMC]

Agree

I agree that it's just a matter of getting used to something different. It's probably like putting jeans on in the fall after you've worn nothing but shorts all summer. Or like that weird feeling you have when you put regular shoes on after you've been wearing ski-boot all day.

Our kids often reacted in a similar way when they had real shoes or boots put on them for the first time, but they got used to it quickly.

[MEcatlady17]

DD sat at 4 months, crawled and pulled to stand between 6 and 7 months. Now she is 8 months old and cruising and could be walking anyday....hasn't worn a disposable diaper since she was 3 months old and even then it was only occasionally.

The timing can absolutely be a coincidence. Babies tend to develop new skills in surges and given her age it may have just been her time to learn new motor skills.

That being said, if you do a comparison and she seems hindered by her diapers I would check the fit of her CDs. Are they too tight on her waist? Is she ready to move up a size or out a snap? Do you use a super bulky option that keeps her legs spread out particularly far or is really rigid? DD is completely unaffected by our CD options (pockets, AIOs, prefolds) regardless of their fit, but she is also a super mobile and not very sensitive child. Some babies are more sensitive to how clothing feels on their body (i.e. kids who CANNOT handle feeling a tag on their skin, wearing jeans because they are tight on their waist, or underwear because they ride or bunch). Maybe that is your baby?